Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

PIR vs smart motion sensor: same lens, different box

Updated: 20.10.2026

PIR vs smart motion sensor is a choice about what gets switched, not about a better eye. A wired head turns a lamp on tonight. A battery puck works only if the hub named on the amazon.co.uk listing is already in the house. Both are usually passive infrared, and neither keeps the light on while you sit still. On 19 October 2026, mains heads start at £10.96 and battery sensors run from £14.99 to £44.95 before any hub. The rows are on the [motion sensor comparison](/hub/burglar-protection/motion-sensor). If the job is still blurred, use the [motion sensor buying guide](/hub/burglar-protection/motion-sensor/sub/motion-sensor-buying-guide) first.

PIR vs smart motion sensor is a choice about what gets switched, not about a better eye. A wired head turns a lamp on tonight.

Our top picks

Philips Hue Philips Hue indoor motion sensor

Best overall

Philips Hue Philips Hue indoor motion sensor
9.6/10about £37.99
View offer
Tapo Tapo T100

Alternative

Tapo Tapo T100
9.4/10about £14.99
View offer
Maclean Maclean MCE468 B

Best value

Maclean Maclean MCE468 B
9.2/10about £10.96
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Both are usually PIRs
  2. 2.When the wired head is the right buy
  3. 3.When the battery sensor is the right buy
  4. 4.What neither of them does

Both are usually PIRs

Smart here means a radio and a hub. SONOFF SNZB-03P is a PIR on Zigbee. Tapo T100 uses the Sub-1G link inside a Tapo hub, not Zigbee and not your Wi-Fi. Hue speaks to a Bridge. Eve speaks Matter over Thread. Maclean and SEBSON switch a lamp through a switched live. A microwave head is not in this set, and neither is a presence sensor. Aqara is not one of these listings.

When the wired head is the right buy

Choose a mains PIR when the lamp is already on a cable. The Maclean MCE468 B at £10.96 is IP65, 12 m and 180°, with a 1,200 W resistive line. The outdoor SEBSON units at £13.99 are IP44 and allow 400 W of LED. None needs a hub, so the lamp still switches if the router is unplugged. A new circuit or a bath zone is not a DIY finish, and SEBSON terminals are often too small for UK cable. A mains head will not appear in the Hue app.
Philips Hue Philips Hue indoor motion sensor

Testsieger

Philips Hue Philips Hue indoor motion sensor
9.6/10about £37.99
View offer

When the battery sensor is the right buy

Buy a battery sensor only if its hub is already on the shelf. SONOFF SNZB-03P at £14.99 needs Zigbee 3.0. The line says 19.7 feet; reviewers often see about 3 m. The over-three-years claim is the maker’s, not a figure from the 1,009 reviews at 4.4. Tapo T100 is also £14.99, needs an H100 or H200, and has no lux figure. Hue at £37.99 averages 4.7 from 5,853 reviews. Eve at £44.95 averages 3.6 from 601. Do not invent a hub price. The conditional pick is on best motion sensor.

What neither of them does

Neither family knows you are a person, and neither holds the light while you sit still. No listing states pet immunity. The longer diagnosis is on PIR sensor false alarms. BeiLan at £15.89 is a plug-in chime, 38 tones, three AAA cells not included, and no lamp load. If the internet drops, a mains PIR does not care. SONOFF’s listing says local Zigbee scenes can run if those devices stay powered. Eve still needs the border router awake.

Common questions

Will a smart sensor work on my Wi-Fi alone?
No. Tapo needs its hub on Sub-1G. SONOFF needs Zigbee. Hue needs a Bridge. Eve needs a Thread border router, which might be a named Echo or Apple TV, and that router is still a hub. A broadband router with neither radio will not adopt them. The mains PIRs avoid the question because they have no radio at all.
Which is cheaper once the hub is included?
Hub prices were not on these ASINs, so the finished smart cost is unknown until you price that box yourself. The sensor prices are known: mains heads about £10.96 to £14.99 with no hub, Tapo and SONOFF at £14.99 plus a hub, Hue at £37.99 plus a bridge, Eve at £44.95 plus a Thread router. If you already own the hub, the extra box costs nothing more. If you own nothing, the mains PIR is the complete purchase.
Can a mains PIR turn on Hue bulbs?
A mains PIR can cut power to a fitting, but a Hue bulb that loses power also leaves the bridge unable to dim it. The Hue motion sensor exists so the bulb stays powered. A Maclean or SEBSON will not show up in the Hue app. If the bulbs are Hue, use the Hue sensor. If the porch lamp is an ordinary LED on a cable, use the mains head.
Which one works if the internet drops?
A mains PIR keeps switching, because it never used the internet. SONOFF’s listing says local Zigbee scenes can run when Wi-Fi drops, if those Zigbee devices stay powered. That is not the Tapo case, and it is not a Hue cloud routine. Eve is described as local Matter and still needs the border router awake. For a porch light during a router outage, the wired head is the one with nothing else to lose.
Can I use the smart sensor outdoors?
Only where a code is printed. Eve says indoors and outdoors and prints IPX3, which is spray, not a jet, and the Thread link still fails far from the border router. Hue’s title says indoor and the included line says outdoor, with no IP rating. Tapo and SONOFF print no IP rating. For rain on an open wall, the Maclean IP65 head is the stated outdoor product, not a battery puck.

Related pages

How to install a PIR sensor

Motion sensor

Best motion sensor UK: one top pick, and who skips

Motion sensor buying guide: choose lamp, hub, or chime

PIR sensor false alarms: aim and heat, then replace

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings kept on 19 October 2026.

  1. Electrical Safety First, outdoor lighting (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. Approved Document P (GOV.UK PDF) (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. legislation.gov.uk, SI 2012/3119 regulation 6 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. GOV.UK, when approval is not needed (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. KES Lighting, IP65 vs IP44 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. Professional Electrician / Ovia, PIR and microwave sensors (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. DCC Electrics, PIR security lighting (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. Voltimum UK, motion-sensor interference (retrieved 19.10.2026)